Yes, but take it somewhere you trust. I'd even insist to be there while they inspect or see if you can go somewhere prior and go over it with a private mechanic. Toyota's current preventive if not replacement is spraying a rubber coating over the frame. This does nothing but hide any perforated areas. Like filling a tooth with a cavity without removing the diseased part of the tooth. It will just continue to rot from underneath
Totally agree, but pretty sure the hull on a 21' Bullet weighs about the same as most 17' or 18' aluminum bass boats!
I also don't think the difference between 1/4ton and 1/2ton trucks is always as much as people think. Curb weight on a double cab v6 tacoma is about 4450lb, a 3.5l ecoboost f150 is only 4640lb according to toyotas and Fords websites...I'm not sure you aren't feeling 4-wheel disc brakes more so than the 190lb difference between these two 1/4-ton and a half-ton pickups when it comes to stopping. Yet, there is a crowd of people (not referring to any post, just in general) who wouldn't blink at towing a tank of a 22' glass boat with an f150, but will scream bloody murder if you suggest even a medium-sized glass boat with a tacoma. There's a bigger weight difference between other 1/2-ton vehicles and a tacoma, the point only being that to a degree the generalities don't tell you everything and I think most people exaggerate the differences sometimes--either vehicle within the GCVW will do just fine and be plenty safe.
You can ONLY take it to a toyota dealer. They'll look you up by VIN to see if the vehicle is included--you should be able to call and find out. My info may be outdated but at one point only certain states were included in the frame replacement. I had thought the test was to essentially hit the frame with a hammer or something to see if it penetrated the frame, rather than see if the frame had already been penetrated by rust--but I could easily be wrong about that. I did my frame in 2013, my wifes tacoma was done in 2015. On mine I took it in for the test, which took 20 minutes--at that point they ordered parts. It took about a month to get the parts in, at which point they had my truck for about a week and provided me a rental. My wifes got done 2 years later--which was odd since my truck was newer than hers--and we did the same thing, but the parts took 5 months to get in. Again, they only had the truck for a week. Sounds like others are having very different experiences, so I imagine much of this must be up to the individual dealer??
2016 Tuffy X-190
Yamaha F175, Mercury 9.9
Motorguide 80 lb Xi5
Garmim/Humminbird graphs and Talon
Be interested to hear what ends up happening with that. Are they sending you to a different dealer, or has the window of opportunity closed, or ??
For me it was never about the stopping as I made sure to give myself extra distance and i have disc brakes on my dual axle, its more the power needed for accelerating. I only have the 1 towing instance to compare it to and it wasnt great. The conditions played a huge role in that but I'm hoping thats a situation that doesnt happen often. Ill find out in a few weeks when i make the long drive from Ontario to Arkansas to pick my boat up and then head to Guntersville for a Basscat tourney. Hoping it can handle the crazy distance its about to see!
I looked into it and a new recall is just beginning. This settlement will officially be approved in April and then current owners will be getting letters (according to two dealers I spoke with). This is the webpage with all the info. Gonna be a busy summer for Toyota Service stations! http://www.toyotaframesettlement.com
I tow a 19' bass cat pantera classic / Merc Pro XS 200 with my 2007 v6 (4.0L) Tacoma. Have absolutely zero problems. Gas mileage takes a hit, but that has been true on every two vehicle I have used over the years, a Chevy 1500, a Dodge Dakota 318 v8, a ford ranger 4.0 v6, and now this tacoma. The tacoma is better than any of the others in ride quality, stability, creature comforts, etc. It will present no issues. I have towed a 21' boat with it as well, with equally good results. My bass cat does have surge brakes, which all boats really ought to have. Certainly helps on stopping distance.
2008 Bass Cat Pantera Classic
2014 Mercury Pro XS 200